Bellevue residents can cut their carbon emissions by 33 percent over the next three years without drastic life-style changes, a team of University of Washington graduate students told the City Council on Tuesday.

After the presentation from graduate students and a professor in the UW’s Program on the Environment, the council voiced support for exploring options to help the community reduce its carbon footprint.

The work done by the UW team is part of the city’s broader Environmental Stewardship Initiative, which the council launched in 2007. Besides the carbon emissions study, the initiative includes analysis of the city’s tree canopy, the expansion of recycling efforts at parks and ball fields, natural drainage practices and “green” buildings.

Carbon dioxide is a leading pollutant blamed for global warming, and the council has endorsed reducing carbon emissions in Bellevue to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The students reported that to meet this goal, the community needs to reduce carbon emissions by 33 percent, or 11 percent per year.

Residents and businesses in Bellevue have already taken action to reduce emissions by using less energy and reducing employee travel, noted the UW team.

According to the team, people could cut carbon emissions further here by: maintaining their cars in a more fuel-efficient way, carpooling more, buying hybrid vehicles and conserving energy at home more. Commercial incentive programs could help.

The UW team, which will provide a more detailed report to the council soon, recommended that the city pursue policies that encourage the development of electric car infrastructure, set up an electronic tracking program to monitor community greenhouse gas emissions and offer education, outreach and assistance to residents and businesses.